Plaster frame



Oct. 24, 1967 J. DALTON, JR

PLASTER FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 25, 1964 JOHN DALTON JR.

INVENTOR.

ATTOR EY Oct. 24, 1967 J. DALTON, JR 3,348,865

' PLASTER FRAME Filed Dec. 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet a 5 2 saw (D (g j Ll. N w 1, E/ Q m U o v 2 N o v :2/ JOHN DALTON JR. I .I; 111331": 5 g 5 BY N 53 2 53 8 3 United States Patent 3,348,865 PLASTER FRAME John Dalton, Jr., Wheeling, W. Va., assignor to Sylvania lectric Products 1110., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 420,559 2 (Ilaims. (Cl. 287-48936) This invention relates generally to recessed lighting fixtures and more particularly to a plaster frame designed to define an opening of predetermined dimensions therefor. The term plaster frame, as used in this context, is a metal border for providing a rectangular opening in a plastered wall or ceiling for the installation and mounting of a recessed lighting fixture or row of fixtures. Because of the variations in the size of recessed fixtures and the desire to group fixtures quite often in a single opening, the plaster frame is usually made up of a series of pieces of either different lengths or the same length to provide an opening for the desired fixture or series of fixtures.

Plaster frames are usually offered by the lighting fixture manufacturer as an accessory for the fixture when an installation in a plastered ceiling is to be used. Over the years, these plaster frames have usually comprised a plurality of metal members joined to one another by screws, nuts and bolts, and the like. More recently, some manufacturers have introduced plaster frames which may be assembled without screws, nuts and bolts and the like, i.e., snap-on or interlocking parts are employed.

In view of the foregoing, a principal object of this invention is to provide an improved plaster frame.

In accordance with the principles of my invention, a plaster frame comprises a plurality of side rails, end rails and corner plates (and/or joining plates for assembling additional side rails as the size of the opening indicates) joined to one another in a rigid manner by specially designed pins. The principle of this joining system is very similar functionally to that of joining together two overlapping pieces of fabric with a common pin, wherein the pin is first pushed through the top and bottom pieces, the fabric is arched back into the path of the pin and the pin is then pushed through the two pieces of fabric again.

In the specific embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary detail of the abutting ends of two side rails of a plaster frame.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary detail of the abutting ends of two side rails of a plaster frame with a joining plate overlying them and with one pin in interlocking position with respect thereto and the other pin in register therewith prior to insertion.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view from above, on a small scale, of a complete plaster frame.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view through a side rail-joining plate assembly with a pin in interlocking engagement therewith and in position to be driven home.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view of a side railjoining plate-pin assembly taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

A fragmentary detail of a pair of abutting rails and 12 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The upper longitudinal portion of side rail 10 is shaped to define an upper reverse bend 14 and the lower longitudinal portion of side rail 10 is shaped to define a lower reverse bend 16. Similarly, the upper longitudinal portion of side rail 12 is shaped to define an upper reverse bend 18 and the lower longitudinal portion of side rail 12 is shaped to define a lower reverse bend 20. The opposite spaced legs 14a and 14b of the upper reverse bend 14 of side rail 10 are provided with a pair of elongated slots 140, one of which is shown in FIG. 1, in vertical register with one another. On the other hand, the upper leg 16a of the lower reverse bend 16 has a vertical tab 16b struck therefrom, thus leaving an elongated slot therein. Similarly, the opposite spaced legs 18a and 18b of the upper reverse bend 18 of side rail 12 are provided with a pair of elongated slots 18c, one of which is shown in FIG. 1, in vertical register with one another. On the other hand, the upper leg 20a of the lower reverse bend 20 has a vertical tab 205 struck therefrom, thus leaving an elongated slot 200 therein. Thus the side rail 10 has three elongated slots 14c, 14c and 16c in register with and aligned with one another. Similarly, the side rail 12 has three elongated slots 18c, 18c and Ztlc in register with and aligned with one another.

In FIGURE 2, the side rails 14) and 12 are shown in abutting relationship with respect to one another as in FIG. 1 but with the addition thereto of a joining plate 22 and a pair of pins 24. The upper longitudinal portion of joining plate 22 is shaped to define an upper reverse bend 28 similar in contour to the upper reverse bends 14 and 18 in side rails 10 and 12 respectively. The opposite spaced legs 28a and 28b of the upper reverse bend 28 are provided with two pairs of elongated slots 28c and 28d, one of each pair being shown in FIG. 2. The pair of slots 280 are in register with the slots 14c, 14c and 160 in side rail 10; and the pair of slots 28a are in register with the slots 18c, 18c, and 200 in side rail 12. The lower longitudinal edge of the joining plate 22 is characterized by a laterally extending flange 29 which overlies the upper legs 16a and 29a of the lower reverse bends 16 and H 20 respectively and terminates flush with the vertical surface of reverse bends 16 and 20. The flange 29 has a pair of elongated notches 29a formed therein, said notches being aligned with the slots 16c and 200 in the upper legs of the reverse bends 16 and 20 respectively.

In FIG. 2, one of the pins 24 is located above and in register with slots 280 in joining plate 22, whereas the other pin 24 is completely and firmly seated in interlocking engagement with joining plate 22 and side rail 12. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, each pin 24 has a head 30 and a shank 32. The shank 32 is provided with a central longitudinal ridge 34 on one face thereof and a pair of nubs 36 on the other face thereof immediately beneath the head 30. These structural characteristics, in combination with the structural characteristics noted above with respect to the joining plate 22 and the side rails 10 and 12, provide the means whereby the several members are loosely joined together as illustrated in FIG. 4 and securely joined to one another as illustrated particularly in FIG. 5.

One form of plaster frame is shown completely assembled in FIG. 3. It comprises a pair of side rails 40 and 42, a pair of end rails 44 and 46, and four corner plates 48, the side rails and the end rails being secured to one another at their adjoining ends by the overlying corner plates and pins 50 which extend therethrough. The side rails 40 and 42, and the end rails 44 and 46 are similar structurally to the side rails 10 and 12 described in detail above and illustrated in detail in FIGS. 1 and 2. The corner plates 48 are similar structurally to the joining plate 22 described in detail above and illustrated in detail in FIG. 2, except that they are provided with a right angle bend intermediate their ends. The pins 50 are the same as the pins 24 in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are transverse sectional details through a side rail-joining plate assembly of the type shown in FIG. 2. In assembling a plaster frame, if at least two side rails are to define one side of the frame as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side'rails and 12 are placed endto-end and a joining plate 22 is placed over-lapping thereon with the joining plate bridging the two side rails. When so positioned, the upper reverse bend 28 of the joining plate 22 nests with the upper, reverse bend 14 of side rail 10 and the upper reverse bend of the side rail 12. Simi larly, the laterally extending flange 29, which defines the lower longitudinal edge of the joining plate 22, overliesthe upper legs 16a and 20a of the-lower reverse bends 16 and 20 respectively of the side rails. In addition, the sides of the notches 29a straddle the tabs 16b and 2011, thus pre-aligning side rails 10 and 12 and their joining plate 22 with respect to one another in their final assembled position before the insertion of the pins 24. Thus the pair of slots 140 in the legs of the upper reverse bend 14 of the side rail 10, and the pair of slots 28:: in the legs of the upper reverse bend 28 of the joining plate 22 are aligned and in register with one another as well as with the notch 29a in the flange 29 of the joining plate 22 and the slot 16c in the upper leg of the lower reverse bend 16 of side rail 10. The several slots in the reverse bends of the side rail 12 and the portion of the joining plate associated therewith are aligned similarly.

With the side rails 10 and 12 and the joining plate 22 so assembled, the pins 24 are inserted loosely through the several aligned slots as shown in FIG. 4 and driven home as shown in FIG. 5 to secure the several components to one another and thereby define a rigid unitary framework. The vertical surfaces of the side rails 10 and 12 and the joining plate 22 (and end rails and corner plates as well) are formed to pass'back and forth through the path taken by the pins 24, and the slots and notches formed therein are aligned in a vertical plane to receive the pins. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the pin 24 extends through the nested components three times, first through the upper legs of the upper reverse bends, then through the lower legs of the upper reverse bends and finally through the flange of the joining plate and the upper leg of the lower reverse bend'of the side rails.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pin 24 has been inserted into and through both the upper and the lower legs of the upper reverse bends of both the side rail and the joining plate. It has not yet passed through the notch 29a in the flange 29 of thejoining plate 22 or the slot 200 in the upper leg 20a of the lower reverse bend 20 of the side rail 12. However, the toe of the shank 32 is held by the tab 20b to pre-align the pin 24 requisite to final insertion through notch 29a and slot 200. Up to this point, the clearance is such that the pins can be readily inserted by hand with very little interference and hence with the application of very little force. However, for all intents and purposes the assembly is complete and rigid at this stage. During the remaining portion of the pin-insertion stroke, the pin must be forced to drive it home and thus effect the final interlocking of parts as illustrated in FIG. 5. As shown best in FIG. 4, the nubs 36 constitute an obstruction on one of the vertical faces of the shank 32 of the pin 24 and the long ridge 34 defines another obstruction on the other vertical face of the shank. Thus, when the pin 24 is forced home, the ridge and the nubs provide for a camming action in opposite directions to draw the nested frame components tightly together and they are so held by the force-fitted pin. The components now so joined cannot be disassembled without forcefully removing the pin.

What I claim is:

1. In a plaster frame, the combination of: a pair of rails, the upper and the lower longitudinal edges of each 1 from the upper lateral surface thereof and thereby pro viding a slot in said upper surface of said lower reverse bend, said slot being in vertical registerwith said pair of vertically aligned slots in said upper reverse bend; a joining plate overlying and nesting with the adjacent ends of said rails, the upper longitudinal edge of said joining platev being provided with a reverse bend which nests with the reverse bend which'characterizes the upper longitudinal edge of each of said rails, said reverse bend of said joining plate having a pair of vertically aligned slots formed therein near each end thereof and in register with the corresponding vertically aligned slots formed in the upper longitudinal edge of said rails, and the lower longitudinal edge of said joining plate being a laterally extending flange overlying the upper lateral surface of the lower reverse bend of said rails and terminating flush with the vertical surface thereof, said laterally extending flange of said joining plate being provided with cutouts in register and co-extensive with the slots in the upper lateral surfaceof the lower reverse'bend of said rails whereby an interlocking of the laterally extending flange of the joining plate with the vertically disposed tabs struck from I bend of each side rail being provided with a pair of vertically. aligned slots near each end thereof, and said lower reverse bend of each side railhaving a vertically disposed tab struck from the upper lateral surface thereof near each end thereof and thereby providing a slot in said upper surface of said lower reverse bend near each end thereof, each of said slots 7 being in vertical register with each said pair of vertically aligned slots in said upper reverse bend near each end thereof;

a pair of spaced substantially parallel end rails,. substantially normal to said side rails and disposed therebetweenat the ends thereof, the upper and lower longitudinal edges thereof being shaped to define a reverse bend, said upper reverse bend of each end rail beingv provided with a pair of vertically aligned slots near each end thereof, and said lower reverse bend of each end rail having a vertically disposed'tab struckfrom theupper lateral surface thereof near each end thereof, thereby providing a slot in said upper surface of said lower reverse bend near each end thereof, each of said slots being in vertical register with each said pair of vertically aligned slots in said upper reverse bend near each end thereof;

a corner plate having a pair of legs at right angles to one another bridging and overlying each of the adja cent ends of said side rails and said end rails, the upper longitudinal edge of each leg of said corner plates being shaped to define a reverse bend which nests with the reverse bend which characterizes the upper longitudinal edge of said side rails and said end rails, each leg of each corner plate having a pair of elongated slots formed in the reverse bend thereof, said slots being in vertical alignment with one another, the slots in one leg of each said corner plate being in vertical alignment with the slots at one end of each'of said side rails and the slots in the other leg of each said corner plate being in vertical alignment with the slots at one end of each said end rails,.

and the lower longitudinal edge of each said corner plate being a laterally extending flange overlying the upper lateral surface of the lower reverse bend of said side rails and said end rails and terminating flush with the vertical surface thereof, said laterally extending flange of each said corner plate being provided with cutouts in register and co-extensive with the slots in the upper lateral surface of the lower reverse bend of said side rails and said end rails whereby an interlocking of the laterally extending flange of each said corner plate with the vertically disposed tabs struck from the upper lateral surface of the lower reverse bends of said side rails and said end rails is effected;

and a pin having a fiat shank extending through each of said series of vertically aligned slots and cutouts, the shank of each pin having a camming surface near one end of one face thereof and a camming surface near the other end of the other face thereof whereby, as the pin is driven home, a camrning action in opposite directions is obtained to draw the mating components tightly together and securely lock them to one another.

References Cited 2,839,188 6/1958 Ciprianietal 20679 FOREIGN PATENTS 774,025 5/1957 Great Britain.

15 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PLASTER FRAME, THE COMBINATION OF: A PAIR OF RAILS, THE UPPER AND THE LOWER LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF EACH RAIL BEING SHAPED TO DEFINE A REVERSE BEND, SAID UPPER REVERSE BEND OF EACH RAIL BEING PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF VERTICALLY ALIGNED SLOTS, AND SAID LOWER REVERSE BEND OF EACH RAIL HAVING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED TAB STRUCK FROM THE UPPER LATERAL SURFACE THEREOF AND THEREBY PROVIDING A SLOT IN SAID UPPER SURFACE OF SAID LOWER REVERSE BEND, SAID SLOT BEING IN VERTICAL REGISTER WITH SAID PAIR OF VERTICALLY ALIGNED SLOTS IN SAID UPPER REVERSE BEND; A JOINING PLATE OVERLYING AND NESTING WITH THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID RAILS, THE UPPER LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID JOINING PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH A REVERSE BEND WHICH NESTS WITH THE REVERSE BEND WHICH CHARACTERIZES THE UPPER LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF EACH OF SAID RAILS, SAID REVERSE BEND OF SAID JOINING PLATE HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY ALIGNED SLOTS FORMED THEREIN NEAR EACH END THEREOF AND IN REGISTER WITH THE CORRESPONDING VERTICALLY ALIGNED SLOTS FORMED IN THE UPPER LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID RAILS, AND THE LOWER LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID JOINING PLATE BEING A LATERALLY EXTENDING FLANGE OVERLYING THE UPPER LATERAL SURFACE OF THE LOWER REVERSE BEND OF SAID RAILS AND TERMINATING FLUSH WITH THE VERTICAL SURFACE THEREOF, SAID LATERALLY EXENDING FLANGE OF SAID JOINING PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH CUTOUTS IN REGISTER AND CO-EXTENSIVE WITH THE SLOTS IN THE UPPER LATERAL SURFACE OF THE LOWER REVESRE BEND OF SAID RAILS WHEREBY AN INTERLOCKING OF THE LATERALLY EXTENDING FLANGE OF THE JOINING PLATE WITH THE VERTICALLY DISPOSED TABS STRUCK FROM THE UPPER LATERAL SURFACE OF THE LOWER REVERSE BENDS OF THE RAILS IS EFFECTED; AND A PIN EXTENDING THROUGH EACH SERIES OF VERTICALLY ALIGNED SLOTS AND CUTOUTS WHEREBY SAID RAILS AND SAID JOINING PLATE ARE SECURELY FASTENED TO ONE ANOTHER. 